Future animation extraordinaire Chelsea Kuhn from Quesnel, BC, has been announced as the winner of the $10,000 Centre for Arts and Technology President’s Scholarship, to pursue her animation training program in Kelowna. Kuhn’s hard work on her application – securing reference letters, creating two animation shorts (only one was required), and interviewing a professional animator – showed her passion and determination for animation as a career, and it ultimately paid off.
PIC: Centre for Arts and Technology President Martin Theiss, presented a certificate to President’s Scholarship winner Chelsea Kuhn of Quesnel, BC. Chelsea is starting animation training program this July at the Kelowna campus, and after being impressed by her stunning artistic skills and vision, we can’t wait to see what a splash she makes in the animation industry!
“Since I took some time to decide on a career choice, I didn’t think I would have the same opportunities to apply for scholarships since many are offered to students in grade 12,” said scholarship recipient Chelsea Kuhn, who is starting her two year diploma in Animation for Game, Film, & Visual Effects at the Kelowna campus in July. “I just couldn’t believe I was chosen for the scholarship! As soon as I got off the phone I told my parents. Every time I think about it, I get excited. I am so grateful!”
“We received an overwhelming response to our President’s Scholarship offerings,” said Martin Theiss, Centre for Arts and Technology president. “The talent, dedication, and enthusiasm of those that entered were nothing less than remarkable. Because of the many, many submissions received and the quality of the work of those submissions, we chose to honour two additional people whose talents could not go without acknowledgement with a $5,000 scholarship each (to Darrin Kostur of Saskatoon, and Evan Kennedy of Halifax) – this is in addition to the $10,000 President’s Scholarship recipient. We thank everyone who applied – we were extremely impressed with the submissions and are more than thrilled to have such talent attend our schools.”
We chatted with Chelsea a few days after she found out about the scholarship win. She was still buzzing with excitement!
CAT: What made you interested in pursuing your animation training program at Centre for Arts and Technology?
Chelsea: I first learned about the Center for Arts and Technology through visits to our high school. I was always interested in the school but hadn’t decided which program I wanted to take. During high school I wanted to be an artist, one like Van Gogh or Degas or something, but I figured that may take a while to ever make a living at. So I started looking at other careers in the arts that interested me and animation just seemed to suit me perfectly because I am also interested in filmmaking and design which are all kind of a part of animation. Plus, I love all these new movies like “Puss in Boots”, “How to train your dragon”, etc, and would love to be a part of creating something like that someday!
CAT: What made you decide to apply for the President’s Scholarship?
Chelsea: Well, I was looking at the schools website one day and I saw the posting about the President’s Scholarship and the other ones, so I applied for the 10 year anniversary scholarship because you could do that right online. I was interested in the Presidents Scholarship (obviously!) but I didn’t know how to apply for it. Then, I got an email from my program advisor, Michael Thorpe, saying he got my application for the 10 year scholarship and he thought I should apply for the President’s Scholarship, so he gave me all the information. I was happy to see that there were scholarships that I could apply for, because usually they are for grade 12 students. I thought that since I didn’t make up my mind where I was going to go to school right after I graduated that I wouldn’t get any more opportunities to apply for one. And I definitely need all the financial help I can get, as I’m sure most other students do!
CAT: What was your reaction when you found out that you WON the President’s Scholarship? Tell us about it!
Chelsea: I got a phone call from Michael Thorpe but I wasn’t home, so he left a message for me to call him back at the school. I had no idea what he wanted. I figured he was going to tell me about something to do with getting ready for my first day of school. So I called the school and he was busy so I left a message for him. Finally he got a hold of me and said hi and that he was calling about the President’s Scholarship, and congratulations….I didn’t say anything because I thought he was going to tell me something about the scholarship and I didn’t know what he was talking about. Then he said “you got it” And I was like “WHAT!!!??? Wow, I can’t believe it!” I was partially so shocked because I didn’t expect to hear anything about the scholarship until July 1, and also I had kind of made myself forget about it so I wouldn’t be disappointed. I just could not believe it. I felt kind of like “are you sure?” I just couldn’t believe that they picked me! Still can’t! As soon as I got off the phone I told my Mom. I couldn’t wait to tell my Dad when he got off work. Every time I think about it I get excited. I am so grateful!
Animation Training | Kelowna, Fredericton, Halifax
Animation for Game, Film, & Visual Effects Professional Diploma
This program takes you from scratch to screen in 24 months, combining highly robust technical and artistic training. Students graduate their animation training with a polished demo reel to prepare them for entry into the professional animation industry. Watching Saturday morning cartoons, playing great video games, and sketching when you should have been listening in school is where it all began. Now it’s time to take your next step – start your journey as a 3D Artist today! Contact us to learn more.
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